#WRULou: Crystal Beach Resort, Zambales

I don’t know what to call this place. Is it a hotel? Hostel? Camping site? Or just a resort. Whichever, it deserves its own post because

It was difficult because we had ≈600 photos in the resort alone. The struggle to choose which to post is real.

That much pictures and we still didn’t capture all of this place’s features. I should probably stop describing places as pretty, but it was; it is pretty.

I said I didn’t think I could do with camping because I have other things to stress about (I was not going to spend time thinking where the hell I’m supposed to pee) but if I were camping here, I think I wouldn’t mind (We still booked rooms though).

Driving to the place was semi-effortless. Signs are just about everywhere.

This trip was spontaneous. It was Tuesday, I was having an emotional week (Ok. Too much drama. I was just jealous of summer beach photos because I was stuck in the classroom while my friends from other universities are driving far from the metro) and I needed a break. There was an upcoming long weekend, but I also have an upcoming long exam, so here comes the upcoming long sadness that I have to go through. So come my professor at my 8:30 am class saying “(Insert all the other things I didn’t really care about) Exam moved to next week,” I was all giddy. I opened my laptop, booked whatever was available, and texted my friends.

My co-weekend warriors: Noreen and Krista. ❤️👯

Crystal Beach Resort hosts the yearly Summer Siren Festival– a 3 day-and-night-long beach party with bands and booths and drinks. Much like a drunken Coachella. Talk about walwal weekend. I had tickets for this year’s but cannot risk to go (No time for the beach ’cause acad’s a bitch). So I was just checking their site then *BAM* I booked for the weekend to compensate for the upcoming Summer Siren. (It was the weekend after; still sad though. Next year, I swear.)

First, reception. Booking was flawless. A few clicks here and there, Paypal pops up, and you’re done. I didn’t expect the people to be as good as their digital version but yeah, they were. Everyone’s all smiles and hellos and just welcoming.

Left photo is where we stayed for the first night; and right is Abraham Attic, for the second night. They offer houses, huts, and cabins; not rooms like in hotel buildings, but the accommodations are clean and some are air-conditioned. Or you could go prehistoric, pitch up a tent and go camping! ⛺️

Pre-paano ako bababa? photo

A lot of team building activities and events are hosted here. I was satisfied with just the beach, but they had an activity center, training grounds, swings and duyan, and a campsite as well. Quiksilver Surf School also rents out surfboards and also instructors for a price. An in-house restaurant’s also available and they serve good food for an affordable price, compared to overpriced, Barbie-portioned, plastic food in other beach resorts.

One unique thing about the place is it’s where the mountains meet the sea. So for non-water lovers, this place is just as good. You sea the ocean but you feel such Baguio vibes with all the pine trees bordering the place.

We went a little gaga over the pine tree strip and even waited ’til the area was clear of other people so we could take photos. It was just so… pine. K.

If you’ve noticed, I’m a water baby. (I can’t understand why Ariel wants to be a human. She has a tail! She’s living the underwater life! Ungrateful mermaid.) So I was ecstatic seeing the long and wide beach strip. It’s a surfing spot, btw. Waves sometimes go high, but in our case, it was just right for lounging and swimming. Also, you have to catch the sunset if you’re not up to catching waves. Sundown’s got the place all orangey then pink then red. Such art. I cry.